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Monthly Archives: April 2011

I am proud to announce that I just received the endorsement of two important environmental groups here in Dallas! The Dallas Sierra Club and Dallas Area Residents for Responsible Drilling:

Known to many as probably the smartest member of the city council, she has continued to ask the right questions and taken stands where others were too nervous or watching the polling stats to do so.

…In the final analysis, we need more leaders in city hall like Angela Hunt who are willing to ask the hard, intelligent questions and not to be afraid of losing votes from the residents or financial support from those outside of their districts.

…We applaud her ‘no guts no glory’ approach to civic government and look forward to having her on the city council for another term. [Read more…]

Many thanks to both Dallas Sierra Club and DARRD for their recognition of my commitment to our environment!

After working on this issue for several months, I am proud to report that yesterday the Dallas City Council unanimously approved the creation of a gas drilling taskforce.

In February, I sent a memo to my colleagues proposing that we create a taskforce to revise Dallas’ gas drilling ordinance to ensure our residents and environment are protected from any dangers that may be posed by urban gas drilling. I worked with several councilmembers to get this important issue in front of the council yesterday, and the entire council embraced the idea.

I am pleased that we were able to achieve overwhelming consensus on this issue and thank my colleagues for their support!

The endorsement followed a lengthy (nearly two-hour), in-depth interview with the editorial board. The board interviewed all of the candidates together and peppered us with questions ranging from economic development to zoning to education.

The board concluded: “The challengers pale next to Hunt in their level of civic involvement, not to mention on their knowledge of zoning, redistricting and the major factors contributing to Dallas’ north-south gap. Well-rehearsed answers, chock-full of jargon and catch phrases, did nothing to persuade us that they would provide more effective leadership than Hunt.”

“There are times when this newspaper openly clashes with her point of view, but we always can rely on her to produce a well-researched and passionate defense of whatever stance she takes. The dynamic 39-year-old knows her stuff. And that’s a top reason why she deserves re-election to the District 14 seat….Hunt’s willingness to take on big challenges is an asset for her constituents and the city at large. Voters should return her for another term.”

My thanks to The Dallas Morning News editorial board for a terrific discussion of the important issues affecting District 14 and the City of Dallas!

Over the weekend, the Dallas Gay & Lesbian Alliance announced that I had received their endorsement in the District 14 race. I am deeply honored to be endorsed by the DGLA, and thank them for their support!

From DGLA President Patti Fink:

Angela Hunt has stood firmly and proudly not only with the GLBT community but also with concerned citizens across the City of Dallas on issues of importance to all, even and especially when such stands have been out of favor or downright unpopular with the Dallas establishment….Angela has consistently made doing the right thing for her District and for the City of Dallas her sole rudder in every decision. [She] has a strong history of appointing LGBT constituents to boards and commissions, and she is a visible sustaining presence at LGBT community events, large and small…. [W]ith great pride DGLA again wholeheartedly endorses Angela Hunt for District 14.

Dallas residents should take special note of a City Council briefing Wednesday about hydraulic fracturing — a process used to recover natural gas — and its potential effects on public health, the environment and property values. This briefing sets the stage for an important council decision on how to proceed with requests by at least two production companies to initiate drilling near homes and businesses in Dallas.

….Key to Wednesday’s briefing is a proposal to establish a task force, composed of industry representatives, citizens and experts, to review available data about hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” and produce recommendations on next steps. Not only should the council approve the task force’s formation, but it should also hold off on issuing drilling permits until the task force has performed its work.

….Council members Angela Hunt and Linda Koop, along with the city staff, deserve a lot of credit for getting the task force effort rolling and making sure it receives the council’s full attention.

In late February, I outlined to my council colleagues a proposal to create a gas drilling taskforce that would evaluate the environmental, health, and safety effects of gas drilling and propose changes to Dallas’ gas drilling ordinance. Today, Councilman Neumann and I sent a joint letter to our council colleagues encouraging them to support such a taskforce, among several alternatives to be considered by the council on Wednesday.

The taskforce is largely as I had proposed with some minor changes: It will include three oil & gas experts instead of two, three environmentalists/residents (same as proposed), and three industry representatives OR business representatives (regional chamber/oil & gas attorneys/etc.) instead of a single oil & gas industry rep. The taskforce will include non-voting members from the regional EPA and TCEQ, as well as a representative from the Park Board (the city’s gas lease includes parkland).

It was important that the selection process be open and transparent, so we have proposed a public application process (anyone may apply) and any councilmember who requests to serve on the selection committee may do so.

This is a critical first step in ensuring Dallas citizens and our environment are protected from any risks posed by the gas drilling process and I am hopeful that my colleagues will support this effort.

Be sure to drop by the grand opening of my campaign headquarters on Saturday, April 16 at at Knox Street! I’ll be there at 9 a.m. to welcome you with donuts, so come by and say hello! You can grab a yard sign, pick up an Angela Hunt t-shirt, and chat with me and other District 14 community leaders.

There will also be opportunities to walk door-to-door if you have some time to volunteer.